Automatic stoker mechanism.



C. D. YOUNG.

AUTOMATIC STOKER MECHANISM.

Patented Oct. 1 2, 1915.

M 1 m A M D E L n N o H A. c u P P A O 4 5 8 I! 6 5 1 l 1 5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR wnnessss C. D. YOUNG.

AUTOMATlCfSTOKER MECHANISM.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3 I I APPLICATION FILED MAY [0. 19H. 1,156,854. Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

C. D. YOUNG.

AUTOMATIC STOKER MECHANISM.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ZZ X7 c. DQYOUNG.

AUTOMATIC STOKER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10. I91].

Patented Oct. 12, 1915;

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

INVEN'I'OR CHARLESD. YOUNG, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC STOKER MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

Application filed May 10, 1911. Serial No. 626,376,

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that 1, CHARLES D. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stoker Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to automatic stoking apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus of this character as applied to a locomotive. The invention has for its principal objects; the provision of an underfeed mechanism having an improved arrangement of troughs designed to secure an adequate and uniform distribution of fuel throughout the furnace; the provision of an improved arrangement for operating the auxiliaryfeed plungers employed in the various troughs; the provision of a compact and efficient grate operating mechanism arranged so as to avoid interference with the Stoker mechanism; andin general the provision of a compact and eflicient underfeed stoker mechanism particularly adapted for use in fire boxes of large dimensions. Oneembodiment, of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view ofthe apparatus, with a. number of the cooperating parts removed, among which are the feed means at the ends of the three underfeed troughs, and the grates, the outline of the fire-box being indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2 is a section taken through the fire-box above the grates, the major port-ion of such grates being removed, in order to disclose the connections for operating the grates,v

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the furnace at the side of one of the troughs, such view showing the grate operating mechanism in side elevation, Fig. 1 is a partial elevation of the outside of the fire-box, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the rocker shafts for the grates at the rear end of the fire-box, Fig. 6 is a section through one ofthe feed troughs on the line VI--VI of Fig. 1, Fig. 7 shows a modified form of trough section, Which form of trough section may be employed for the inclined portions of the outer troughs as shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section through one of the troughs.

Referring first to the general arrangement of parts as shown in Fig. 1; 1 is the outline of the Water leg of the fire-box; 2, 3 and 4 tons 8, 9 and 10 (Fig. 8)

(whose positions are indicated by the dotted or guide-ways in the bottoms of the troughs for the reception of the auxiliary feed pis- 11, 12 and 13 lines) are the main feed pistons working into the rear ends of the trough's 2, 3 and 1 as indicated in Fig. 8; 11 and 15 are engines for operating the main and auxiliary pistons, after the manner more fully indicated in my co-pending application Serial N 0. 626,377, filed May 10th, 1911, each of said engines being connected to. the rocker shaft 16 by. means of the crank arms 17; 18 are crank arms carried by the shaft 16, and arranged to operate the cross-head 19 (Fig. 8) which cross-head carries the main pistons 11, 12 and 13 as fully described in my copending application above referred to; 21 and 22 are connecting rods also connected to the said cross-head 19 at their front ends; 23 is a transverse bar extending transversely across the fire-box through the lower slotted portions of the troughs 2, 3 and 4, and having connection with the front ends of the auxiliary feed plungers S (Fig. 8); and 21 and 25 are similar transverse bars engaging the feed plungers 9 and 10 and connected to the bar 23 by means of the rods 26 and 27. The outer tro ughs 2 and 4 are provided with the inclined portions 28 and 29, and such inclined portions acting in conjunction'with the deflectors 30 and 31 causes the coal to feed laterally and fillthe corners 32 and 33, which otherwise have a tendency to remain unfilled. The deflectors 30 and 31 are merely inclined plates which tend to throw the coal sidewise. This lateral feeding of the coal to the corners of the furnace may also be augmented by using a trough at this point of the cross section. as indicated in Fig. 7, the vertical side being toward the center of the fire-box. The troughs 2, 3 and 4 are spaced so as to secure the most uniform distributionpossible of the coal. The connecting rods 21 and 22 move in unison, keeping the bar 23 at right angles to the center-line of the furnace, and the bars 24 and 25 are maintained in parallelism with the bar 23 by means of the connecting rods 26 and 27.

The grate bars 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 are of the rocker type as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, and two drop grates 39 are provided intermediate the troughs at the front end of the fire-box, As indicated in Fig. 3, the drop grate 39 is pivoted at its front end and supported at its rear end by means of the link 40 and crank arm 41 carried by the transversely extending shaft 42 (Fig. 4), the link 40 and arm 41 being in alinement when the grate is in its upper position as indicated in Fig. 3, so that there is substantially no strain upon the locking parts holding the shaft 42 against rotation. Theshaft 42 is provided adjacent its outer end with the crank arm 42, which arm is operated from the bell-crank lever 43 by means of the connecting link 44. It will be noted that the operating levers 43 are located at the sides of the fire-box, and in such position tiat they are out of the way of the feed mechanism at the front ends of the troughs 2,3 and 4.

The rocking grate bars are also operated from a series of members located at the side of the front of the fire-box as illustrated in Fig. 4. These operating members comprise vertical shafts 45, 46, 47 and 48, each provided at its upper end with a squared wrench engaging portion for receiving an operating wrench. The lower ends of these; vertical shafts are mounted in aibracket 49, and each shaft is provided with a crank arm, the oscillation of which secures the rocking of a portion of the grate bars. This is accomplished by means of the connecting rods 50, 51, 52 and 53 extending rearwardly as indicated in Fig- 2, and connecting with the crank arms 54, 55, 56, and 57, (Fig. 5) carried respectively by the shaft 58, the sleeve 59, the shaft (30, and the sleeve 61, such shafts and sleeves being provided with the crank arms'62, (S3, 64, 65, 6G, 67, (3S and 9 for rocking the grate bars. The connection between the crank arms on the said shafts and sleeves with the grate bars is secured in the manner indicated in Fig. 3. As here shown the grate bars 34 and 35 are provided with crank arms and 71 supporting a connecting bar-72, which bar 72 is provided with a plurality of notches for engaging pins upon the crank arms of the grate bars intermediate the bars 34 and 35 (not shown),

and this connecting bar 72 is provided with a projecting lug 73 (Fig. 2) to which is pivoted the front end of one of the connecting rods 74, which connecting rod is pivoted at its rear end to one of the crank arms shown in Fig. Similarly the grate bars 35 and 36 and those grate bars lying between the bars 36 and are operated by the connecting bar 75, which bar is provided with a lug 76, the reciprocation of the bar 75 being secured by means of the connecting rod 77 secured at its rear. end to the crank arm 64. Anins'pection of Fig. 2 will show the manner in which the operating connections for each set of'bars is made. It will be seen from the foregoing that the arrangementof operating means forthe grate bars is compact and effective, and that by carrying the operating rods to the rear to the shafts and sleeves, and operating such shafts and sleeves from their ends, all the operating mechanism for the grate bars at the front of the fire-box may be placed together at one side of the fire-box, and all interference with the feed mechanism and other apparatus at the front of the fire-box is avoided.

Y Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following 1. In combination in automatic stoker mechanism, a furnace, a plurality of underfeed troughs-extending longitudinally thereof, feed means at the end of each trough, an auxiliary feed piston in each trough guided for right line movement therein, a transverse bar connected to all of said auxiliary pistons, and means for reciprocating the said bar with the bar held at right angles to its path of movement the said troughs being slotted to receive and guide the-said bar.

2. In combination in automatic stoker mechanism, a furnace, a plurality of underfeed troughs extending longitudinally thereof, feed means at the end of each trough, a plurality of auxiliary feed pistons in each tro ugh, a plurality of transverse bars each connected to an auxiliary feed piston, in each trough, means lying on opposite sides of one of the troughs for connecting the bars together so that they move in unison, and means for reciprocating the said bars 3. In combination in automatic stoker mechanism, a furnace, a plurality of underfeed tronghs extending longitudinally thereof, feed means at the end of each trough, .a plurality of auxiliary feed pistons in each trough, a plurality of transverse bars each connected to an auxiliary feed piston in each trough, means for connecting the bars together so that they move in unison, and means for reciprocating the said bars, the said troughs being slotted to receive and guide the'said bars.

4. In combination in automatic stoker mechanism, a furnace, a plurality of underfeed troughs extending longitudinally thereof, movable grate bars, means for rocking the grate bars extending to the rear, trans verse rotary means having connection with the said means for reciprocating them, operating means at the front end of the furnace at one side thereof, and connecting means between such last means and the rotary means and lying at the side of the furnace.

5. In combination in automatic stoker mechanism, a furnace, a plurality of underfeed troughs extending longitudinally thereof, movable grate bars lying between and at the sides of the troughs, means for rocking the grate bars extending to the rear,transverse shafts at the rear of the furnace, provided with rocker arms for reciprocating the said means, rocker arms at the ends of such shafts, operating means at the front end of the furnace at one side thereof provided with operating cranks, and connecting rods connectingsueh cranks and the rocker arms at the ends of the said shafts.

t). In combination in automatic stoker mechanism for locomotives, a .fire box, a plurality of feed trolighs extending longitudinally thereof, rocker grates lying between and at the outer sides of the troughs, rocker shafts extending transversely of the fire box at the rear end thereof and to the. rear of the grates. connecting rods for operating the grates from the rocker shafts and extending rearwardly from the grates to the rocker shafts, operating means at the front of the fire box, and connecting rods between such means and the rocker shafts.

7. In combination in automatic I stoker mechanism for locomotives, a fire-box, a plurality of feed troughs extending longitudinally thereof, rocker grates lying between and at the sides of the troughs, rocker shafts extending transversely of the rear of the-fire-box, connecting rods for operating the grates from the rocker shafts, operating means at the front of the fire-box, and connecting rods between such means and the rocker shafts, the said operating means being located at the side of one of the outer troughs.

8. In combination in automatic. stoker mechanism for locomotives, a fire box, a plurality of feed troughs extending longitudinally thereof, rocker grates lying between and at the sides of the troughs, rocker shafts extending transversely of the rear of the fire box, connecting rods for operating the grates from the rocker. shafts and extending rearwardly from the grates to the rocker shafts, operating means at the front of the fire box comprising a plurality of upright shafts provided with wrench engaging portions, and connecting means between such shafts and the rocker shafts.

In combination in automatic stoker mechanism for locomotives, a fire-box, a pinrality of feed troughs extending longitudinally thereof, rocker grates lying between and at the sides of the troughs, rocker shafts extending transversely of the-rear of the fire-box, connecting rods for operating the grates from the rocker shafts, operating means at the front of the fire-box, comprising a plurality of upright shafts provided with wrench engaging portions.- and connecting means between such shafts and the rocker shafts, the said upright shafts being located in front of the fire-box and at one side thereof.

10. In combination in automatic stoker mechanism, a furnace, and a plurality of underfeed troughs extending longitudinally thereof, the outer ends of the troughs having their ends turned laterally toward each other and of U-shape in cross section with the sides inclined in the same direction and with the center line inclined at an angle to the vertical.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

CHARLES D. YOUNG. \Vitnesses JAMES C. -BRADLEY, Donuixo BELLINGER. 

